The spark of hope
by apoeff
Summary: The voice of Claudius Templesmith broke through the cloudy sky. I had sixty seconds. Sixty seconds to find him and kill everyone who tried to hurt him. Sixty seconds to figure out what I'm trying to accomplish. 'Welcome to hell' Laughed the voice in my head. 'Let the sixty-second annual Hunger Games begin.'
1. A reaping to hell

**Well this is my first fanfic ever! Keep in mind that English is not my own language ;)  
Hope you like it!**

A stray of light broke through the worn wood of my room. It's the first day in weeks that I woke up when the sun was shining. Normally I would be working in the forest by now but today there's nobody out there. On this 'special day' our district looks like an abandoned place full of neglected houses. But inside, families cry and pray for their children to come back. Because at the end of this day, two children will be gone with no certitude that they'll return. My parents don't really care about that at all. Well, they do care about my older brother. He turned eighteen a month ago so this was his last year as a contender. Jake Newell, black hair and blue eyes. Popular as hell in our district. A charming young man who hits on every girl, with success most of the time. In my opinion rather a player than a charmer. My parents never wanted two kids, I was an accident. They made it very clear that my brother was the star and that I would never surpass him. I tried many times to prove them wrong but how do you change the thoughts of someone who doesn't want to believe anything else? I used to have better results than him at school when we were younger, they said I cheated. I found a job that paid a lot more than his, they laughed at it. So I gave up and accepted that I will live in the shadow of my brother who'll forever live in a halo effect.

"Elena! Don't forget to wear the red dress I showed you yesterday!" My mother's voice broke through my thoughts and before I could answer the door opened. "Mom said that-"  
"I heard her." Jake wore a classic suit that belonged to my father. "Hurry up, we're leaving in ten minutes." I nodded and crawled out of my bed. My house wasn't big, but it was enough. On hands and knees I found the bathroom and started dressing up. We couldn't afford beautiful substances so the dress that mom had laid out for me wasn't that comfortable. At least it didn't look that way. It was a classic red dress with no ruffles and sleeves, a typical dress for this district. People who lived in the capitol had a completely different style, it was funny to watch how they tried to look like they're not humans but in another way it was pretty sad. When they watch themselves in a mirror, are they happy? Are they proud? I guess I'll never know.  
The dress didn't look that bad on me. My slightly curly brown hair fell over my shoulders and made my green eyes look good. Still I felt hideous. Isn't it a shame that children have to make themselves look beautiful before they die? Isn't it a shame that they'll be forgotten when they don't make it back? People watch from beginning to end, smile when their favorite kills somebody and cry when a tribute dies. Like they even care about them. Year after year two people disappear and here in district 7 they don't return often. I'm sure they try –I would- but we're never skilled enough to win. You only get three days of training, three days to master a skill. To find a way how to kill everybody. Tell me, how do you turn children into murder weapons? Only the careers from district 1,2 and 4 smile when they killed someone. It's outrageous.

I practically ran the whole way to the town hall because I was a little late. My family didn't wait, not that I thought they would. They wouldn't even care if something happened to me while I was alone. I think they would be happy. My feet hurt with every step thanks to the heels that matched the dress but what other choice did I have? None. If I wouldn't wear them it would only cost me another screaming fight with my mother. We don't want that do we? "You all should be proud of what the Capitol does for you!" The high-pitched voice of Thessalia echoed across the square. Seems like I made it in time. "Now let's see who will represent their district in the sixty-second annual Hunger Games." With a smile that looked to happy she stared at the blank eyes of the crowd. "Ladies first!" She took her white glove off and her green tinted hand entered the large bowl who was filled with white cards. On twenty-seven of them stood the name 'Elena Newell'. My family was neither rich or poor but when they didn't have enough money, I was the one who needed to trade food for a participation. Her fingers finally pulled a card out. At this moment it was decided who would participate in the cruel Games. At this moment it was decided who had to fight to return to their old life. Of course they never get their old life back. If you make it, you need to live with the horrible pictures you gained. You need to live with the haunting faces of the people you killed. My eyes were searching for Juna. My best, and only, friend. And I found her, standing in the middle of the mass in a plain black dress but I didn't feel relieved that my eyes were looking into hers. Because Thessalia announced the female tribute of the sixty-second annual Hunger Games. And it wasn't Juna Cornwald.  
It was Elena Newell.


	2. Be brave, be strong Be the best

**Tried to make this chapter a little longer but my inspiration is leaving me behind :c  
I wasn't exactly happy with my work but beginnings were never my best parts, don't hate me! :D I have nice ideas for later... We'll just see how she will develop. Enjoy! :)**

Some people yell and some cry. Some look terrified and some just stare.  
I belong to the 'just stare' group. No expression on my face, just blank. A girl, my age I guess, pulled my hand and whispered "It's you." Was she trying to be nice or mean?  
Juna stood there, crying. We did everything together, seems like that ended here. I took a deep breath and told myself that I had to be strong. I had to be smart. From this moment, the Games started. Whole Panem would watch this reaping, and a crybaby won't get many sponsors.  
My feet started to move on their own. With still no expression on my face I walked through the pad that the crowd made. Four peacekeepers escorted me and made sure that I wouldn't run away. Of course I wouldn't. They would kill you immediately.  
I finally reached the stairs. "Come up here darling." Thessalia stood at the top of the stairs and watched every step I took. When you were this close to her it was creepy to see that her skin was actually green.  
Once I got up I finally found my brother standing at the back in the boys area. Was it pain that I noticed in his stare? Sadness?  
"And now for the boys!" She said. But my eyes were glued to Jake's. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he got chosen? Brother and sister fight to the dead in the Hunger Games, that would attract a big crowd.  
But it wasn't him. Of course it wasn't, it could never be him.  
"District 7. Meet your tributes for this year; Elena Newell and Reese Harilton."  
Reese Harilton? I knew that name, but from where? "Shake hands you two." She was a little frustrated. A tall boy showed up when I forced myself to look away from my brother. Curly brown hair, dark brown eyes and definitely not weak. He didn't look scared at all, like he didn't care. A warm hand touched mine and, automatically, he looked into my eyes. If he died, it was for sure that I would never forget how the eyes of Reese Harilton would look like. Burned into my mind like a tattoo. A damn beautiful tattoo.

I've never been into the town hall before, but I never imagined the rooms so cold and old. The couches were comfortable, tough.  
The first person who walked into the room was Juna. Her eyes all red from the crying and a broken voice. She hugged me. Not saying any word. Just held me. "I'm not dead yet." I laughed. But she couldn't join.  
"How can you make such a terrible joke after you've been picked for that sick TV-show?" There she was again. The J I've always known. Overprotective. "We'll meet again, this is not the last time. It couldn't be." She mumbled. All I could do was hug her again, with tears running from my eyes this time. We did everything together, never apart.  
That was a promise after all.

_"Not that way! We're not allowed to go there! What if they catch us?"  
"They wouldn't."  
Her answer, short but with so much power. We were only ten, were not that useful already. They would kill us right away.  
But she kept going, all the way to the Victor's village. "This one is empty…"  
Wrong. This was so wrong. "Don't look at me like that, we won't get caught!" Why couldn't I just believe her? With shaking hands she opened the door. Nobody was watching.  
"It's already open?" I asked. "It's not my first time here." She whispered. Two little girls ran into an empty house at night. With this action, we broke like three rules? But I trusted her and leaving was never an option. _

_Just when I was about to ask what she was trying to do, she clicked on the lights. It was everything a little girl could ever dream off. White walls that were decorated with golden patterns, classic brown chairs, a big eating table made out of glass and a luster. Not a regular one. It was twice my size, golden and full off little lights that looked like little diamonds. "A-And people actually get to live in this place?" I stuttered. "Yeah they do! Wouldn't it be amazing if we lived here? Our big castle!" We both knew what the requirement was, how you could get this house. When they told us it sounded so easy, so innocent.  
But winning the Games is neither.  
"Wait this isn't everything! Go lay down on the table, I'll show you." I did what she said. She lit six candles and placed them on the ground in the whole room. Then the big light went off and she did the same thing I did.  
"It's… beautiful." That wasn't the right word, it was too gorgeous to explain it. We both lay down and watched the ceiling. The luster was made in the shape of the moon. The reflection of the candles made the diamonds shine. It was like our own private sky. "  
Let's make a promise. Right here, right now. Under our own sky." The smell of blossoms in the spring penetrate into my nose. Her scent. She was so close that the tip of our noses touched each other.  
"Let's make a promise. Right here, right now." I repeated. We both took each other's little finger with our pinkie.  
"Everything we do, it will be together. Everything we think, we share. Everything we feel, we tell. Everything." She looked me in the eye. Juna was never this serious, I liked it. "Everything." Again I repeated her. And on that moment, we both made a promise.  
A pinkie swear. _

They took her out of the room and I was left alone with myself. With my thoughts. I was going to die. I was going to die and I was going to be forgotten. Nobody would ever think of me again. I could never win this thing on my own. And I was on my own, I always was.  
But there he stood, in the opening of my door. "Didn't expect me here did you?" His voice was trembling.  
"You didn't need to come." I answered.  
"Yes I did. I did because I never came before. Because I never told you I was proud of you." He was proud of me? Of… Me? "Your my little sister… Always been, always will. And you will win this thing. I know you will. And you know why?" The only thing I could do was move my head into a 'no' direction. "Because you will show mom and dad that you're not the weak one. That you're better then me, because you are!" He hugged me. "You are."  
Tears streamed down my face. He kissed my forehead and looked me in the eyes.  
"I love you." I smiled.  
"I love you to."  
Then he walked to the door and opened it. "Be brave, be strong… Be the best." His last words. His unbelievably strong last words.  
They gave me so much strength. So much determination. If I was going to die it wouldn't be without a fight. They would all notice me and recognize me. I will get my life back and live underneath my private sky. The ceiling Juna and I discovered. It would be mine. From now on my training started, and I was going to remember every little thing they tell me. I had to. Let's hope that they're ready for me.  
That they're ready for the most confident girl they'll ever see.


End file.
